


Indelible

by yosjiefo



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: F/M, Liege-Retainer Relationship, Others show up but I'm not giving false hope for brief appearances to stans of those characters, Pining, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yosjiefo/pseuds/yosjiefo
Summary: When Pelleas can finally muster the courage to say what had been dwelling on his mind, his eyes are limpid and resolute, his voice — though quiet — possessing a strength born of certainty as he says:“I would like you to be Queen, Micaiah.”
Relationships: Micaiah/Pelleas (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. A King's Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for a writing challenge centered around expanding paired endings (canon or otherwise), I got health complications that slowed me down. Additionally, what I began to write ended up feeling more suited for a longer fic rather than a one-shot. While I have a pretty general plan for this fic, I acknowledge some details may change along the way. With that, the rating might change, but as of right now, I think what I have suits my overall vision.

When Pelleas can finally muster the courage to say what had been dwelling on his mind, his eyes are limpid and resolute, his voice — though quiet — possessing a strength born of certainty as he says:

“I would like you to be Queen, Micaiah.”

“I... You would?” A glimmer of surprise takes her but more than that a shard of hope. Her heart beats, and she can't bring herself to think of what else to say in that moment. 

What had Pelleas seen and been through in that time where they had split to travel to the Tower of Guidance? What had changed him during his own fights within the tower itself? 

Had he thought of her in that long trek the same way she had thought of him? In those short moments of reprieve whenever they could be afforded, did images of her flash in his mind the same way his visage had ensnared her own?

Pelleas averts his gaze and sighs, that courage draining out of him fast. “I-I apologize. Springing that onto you without any time to rest from battle... That wasn't fair of me.”

Micaiah shakes her head. “No, it's alright. I was just surprised is all.” Her tone may sound calm but she hears her pulse race as she takes his hand and layers her other hand over it. “My king, I—”

“Micaiah, I…” Their voices overlap over one another. She sees the regret in his expression, likely out of feeling rude to her, and so she grips his hand tighter between her own.

“Please, continue. I am here to listen to you.”

“Thank you, Micaiah.”

When she sees him wear a smile of relief, it is like watching a wilting flower regain its strength to stand, and she knows in that instant she has done the right thing. She offers him her own smile, hoping to see that flower bloom.

“There are a lot of things I need to tell you about me still,” he begins. He extracts himself from her hold and looks to the sky then. It is a brilliant dawn that awaits them, one that signals the rebirth of this world into something better — the very same one she, Sothe, Nolan, Edward, and Leonardo had all sworn together to fight for.

It is real, and it is here. She only hopes Pelleas sees it as the beginning for his life too, one far away from the troubles of Begnion.

“I am ready to hear anything from you, Your Majesty.”

His lip twitches a bit then — so slight she's not even sure she saw right. But then she hears it.

“...Even if it makes me no longer 'Your Majesty?”

There is a long pause, one that must've felt like eons, before Micaiah asks, “What do you mean?”

“I am not Ashnard's son, Micaiah. I found out from Izuka — well, he was just the first one to confirm it. I had thought about it for a long time before that if I'm to be honest.”

“You found this out while traveling with King Tibarn?”

Pelleas nods. “That's when we ran into Izuka. Apparently, Queen Elincia's men had been looking for him. I just happened to be there…”

“So, you're saying because you do not have the royal blood in you, you have no claim to the throne.”

“Yes! I knew you would understand” Pelleas is so bright as he speaks, yet that joy is not shared between them even as he continues, “You have always seen right through me.”

“Then why should I be Queen? Your Majesty, you have worked hard and worried so much for Daein!"

“Not as much as you.” His expression grows dark, the light quickly snuffed out. “You are the one who has always fought on the front lines. You are the one who saved me from throwing my life away, believing much farther than me in some better future. I know if it were me on that throne again, I would only give up… I would give my life up so easily. Every moment in the Tower of Guidance, I realized a part of me was thinking that. How if I thought it would do Daein good, I would wish to die but also…”

Pelleas's hands tremble then, and Micaiah thinks of reaching out once more to him. 

_ But he does not love you. _

At least, the request that she become queen had never been the proposal she had mistaken it for. It had never been an offer to rule by his side but rather on her own.

But still, even if it had not been an amorous invitation, she knows she loves this man and believes in him, and so she reaches out to him anyway, taking his hands in hers once more. She prays her warmth, if he can find any, can seep into his fingers and assuage what fears grip him.

To love someone is to not wish to see them so caged in by their shadows, and if her own light can pierce his darkness, that would be enough.

“Your Majesty…”

“I… I'm sorry, Micaiah.” He begins to cry, though if he is aware, she cannot tell. He's a quiet crier, she learns. She wonders how many times he has cried alone and no one ever noticed. How alone has he felt every time that has happened? “Even now, I'm giving up by ceding the throne to you. I'm running, and yet… I know you'll be a wonderful queen, Micaiah. I have always admired your caring heart and your strength of will… I see how the people of Daein believe and rally behind you. They  _ need  _ someone like you Micaiah. For me, all I have done is deceive them.”

Micaiah lifts one of her hands and uses it to brush some of the king's tears away. His eyes widen, and she gives herself one final indulgence: she cups his cheek and wills him to look at her.

“Your Majesty, you may have deceived them but that was not of your own will. It was you who had been deceived first, but even now, you have chosen to worry over the well-being of your people. Isn't that enough?”

Pelleas wears a self deprecating smile as he leans into her hand. His tears still flow, and their chill sets onto Micaiah's fingers as if to dare her to withdraw, but she does not. She couldn't, not when the man she loves looked so miserable.

“I was angry at first, believe me. When I had gotten to talk to Sephiran about it and he confirmed my fears, I had let myself go. For that moment in time, I had lapsed and let the spirits control me… It's a miracle I even regained myself at all.”

“The Spirit's Protection…”

“Yes. I told you once this mark I bear signified great magical power, but the pact with it does not come free. The spirit I made the pact with lives inside me, and if I ever lose myself again, I am sure it will take over me entirely.” Pelleas pulls himself away again from Micaiah's touch and sweeps away his tears himself. “If I remain king and something like that were to happen again… Daein would be as good as leaderless. I would have to ask you again to kill me.”

In that moment, Micaiah's blood turns to ice. She had staked everything, going against the two paths her foresight had given her to save this man, and even now, it could have only delayed the inevitable?

The fates are cruel, even on this brightest dawn. 

“I couldn't do it! I won't!”

“I figured as much, so… I won't make you. But instead, please become Daein's queen. Then, Daein won't ever need to worry about that. They'll have you.” He looks again into her eyes, his gaze piercing her own as he implores her, “Please, just… think it over at least. I won't reveal the truth about myself to anyone yet, but I truly believe you becoming queen will be the best thing for Daein.”

Micaiah balls up her fist over her heart, rend by the words just exchanged, and manages to force out, “I will think about it.”

_ For you, Your Majesty. _

But it is “For Daein,” that she says aloud.


	2. Love or Contempt

“You look stunning, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Your…” Micaiah corrects herself. “...Pelleas.”

“My apologies. I know you must have gotten quite used to that…” Though Pelleas normally looks so sorrowful, there is a boyish euphoria to how he beams now. It makes Micaiah’s heart skip a beat to see it. “I confess though that I am glad to hear you call me my name again. It feels more like myself.”

“Do you worry about that sort of thing a lot, Pelleas?” 

“Hm. I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve thought about it very much.” Though that could be the end of it, Micaiah can see him clearly mulling it over. Eventually, he decides, “I suppose when I was king, I worried a lot over whether or not I was Ashnard’s son. It was a constant comparison… It was a bit difficult to not think about. But now… I don’t need to wonder anymore. I need only serve you.”

“I see. I’m surprised you chose to remain here, actually. You once told me, ‘I long for the old days when I was poor, but had few worries.’”

“You… You still remember that?” Pelleas’s mouth hangs agape. “Um… I suppose I might have said that once, yes. Your memory is nothing short of astonishing...”

Of course she would remember. It was the first time he had opened up to her, and the first time she had begun to understand him as something more than just the lost prince of Daein. He had been timid, unsure, eager to please but hesitant to act, and she knew more than any of that, he had been lonely.

_ “I see. You were alone…” _

_ “Pardon?” _

_ “And then Izuka reunited you with your mother, gave you a place to stay, and provided you with a reason to live. And you feel you owe him a debt of gratitude for ending your loneliness. That is why you try to do as you are told–as Izuka wishes.” _

From that moment of realization, she had thought she had seen something of herself in him. She remembers the days after the war ended when she had finally left her life of isolation and begun to help the poor and downtrodden. They in turn lended their hands to her, because she was one of Daein. They were all united as people, and she learned to believe in people’s warmth. 

Perhaps Pelleas had seen that too, finally, when he had met Izuka. The man, no matter how wicked his intentions may have been, had given Pelleas the first taste of human kindness, and he had decided that was worth the trials and tribulations that becoming prince came with.

She had hoped their similarities had overlapped more, especially when she had spotted the vivid marking against his forehead. It was just a chance spotting, likely something he had never wished her to see, but it was the very thing that got them to know one another more.

How unfortunate it was that such a mark came with the revelation that even Pelleas could say such vitriol as ‘sub-human’ with ease.

That had been the splash of cold water Micaiah had needed, to tell herself to not grow too close to her liege lord. If he knew what she was, would his enthusiasm have died? Would he have been disappointed in her? Would he no longer believe in her as much as he did?

Yet, still, here she was, letting the days pass by, letting herself listen, letting her loyalty grow into something tender. But that reminder of what he said was always there.

Perhaps it was better that his request had not been the proposal she had wished it was. She’s not sure she could bear it. But there still always lingered the hope that he didn’t mean such hate whenever he said that slander — that she was right to trust in that soul she saw as endlessly kind, endlessly diligent, and endlessly earnest. That the man who had often skipped meals and been found a couple times pouring over texts was not someone capable of such hatred. That the man who acknowledged that the Feral Ones had had an atrocity committed against them had sincerely meant it when he apologized, and that his correction of his language to instead say ‘laguz’ was him trying his best to change. That the man who would later give the order to wipe out the Gallian army and used that cursed word again had only said it because of the fear that the Begnion Senate had instilled in him, and that that wasn’t a mark of regression for the man who had become the center of her thoughts too many times since his coronation.

“Your Majesty? Um… D-Did I offend you by any chance? I… I can leave if you want…” Pelleas’s words bring her back, and she knows she’s making a face when he continues to sputter. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“Pelleas. What do you think of the Branded?”

Though she was fraught with uncertainty and fear for the answer, she knew that this was the time to ask. If he still believed them to be descended from ‘subhumans’, then she could send him away to be happier far away from her. This would be the prime time to be parted, with the change of power about to happen. If he was trusting her to rule Daein in his place, he needed to know the truth. It would be her first step as a transparent monarch. 

She faces the archsage head on, standing as tall as she can. She can see him begin to sweat, and she knows she is equally as nervous.

“Ah… Have you been thinking about that this whole time?”

“ _Please,_ Pelleas," she pleas. "Answer the question.”

“R-Right. Sorry… I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I’m fine with them. Truthfully, I never met one until… well, I would say Ike’s tactician, but I have a feeling the truth is that the first one I met was you. Am… Am I right?”

“Yes… How long have you thought that?”

“I think... I suspected as such when I realized my mother was one of the dragon tribe. Because then that would make me one of the Branded too, but even if I didn’t know much about them, I knew I wasn’t one. People never called me one until I gained the Spirit’s Protection, after all. The mark was always what made people think that, and when I thought about your mark, I realized you weren’t the same as me. You may have a talent for magic, but I’ve never met another person yet who made a pact with a spirit and survived. I tried to explain to myself why you wouldn’t know about the pact, but… I think it was just because I wanted you to be more like me. No, it would make more sense if your mark wasn’t matching with mine but rather the mark of the Branded, and it looks like I was right…”

Micaiah gulps, prepared for the worst. “So now that you know, shall you leave me, Pelleas?”

“N-No!” His answer is swift and seemingly desperate. “I… If I truly hated the idea of the Branded, I never would have told Mother how to find her son, n-not that I know how she feels about that yet… but more importantly, I wouldn’t…”

Pelleas trails off then, struggling to gather any coherent words. Micaiah generally thinks him easy to read, but here and now, her mind's a frenzy. Half tells her she wishes to hear, the other half tells her to end this conversation right now, but with how intense his denial was, it dares her heart to hope, and so with some trepidation, she asks:

“You wouldn’t?”

“Ah…” His voice gets even quieter, but despite that, she hears his next words clearly. “I wouldn’t have, um… I wouldn’t have chosen to live still… just for you…”

“Pelleas, you truly—?”

A knock comes on the door then. “Micaiah. The ceremony’s about to start!”

“Edward! We’re supposed to be calling her ‘Your Majesty’ now.”

“Hey! Micaiah’s still our friend, isn’t she? You worry too much.” Micaiah can’t hear it, but she imagines Leonardo’s rolling his eyes behind those doors. “Well, anyway, that’s that. Everyone’s waiting. We’ll be waiting too!”

And then their footsteps rush off until they can no longer be heard. 

“I, um, suppose I should be heading out with them too,” Pelleas says, already making his way out. Just before he closes the door behind him, he looks back towards Micaiah, clearly agonizing over whether or not to say something before coming out with it. “I… I don’t hate the Branded, in any case. I’m sorry I said what I had in the past about them and the laguz. I know I can’t take any of that back, but… I can try my best to make amends by your side here, so… I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day. Please let me prove this to you.”

Micaiah watches as his figure slips away, and she is once more by herself, dressed in Daein’s regalia. She will walk out there amidst the masses and be crowned the fifteenth Queen of Daein for everyone to see, yet the few moments before she goes to join them, her thoughts focus on the spirit charmer who had just said he lives still for her.

She was one of the Branded; he knew yet still could make such a declaration. 

Once, she had told Sothe that she didn’t want to know what the people around her would look at her with — love or contempt — if they were to find out about what blood runs through her veins. She had truly believed she could not bear that truth.

Yet, here she was, knowing that one more person dear to her knows, and while she does not think he looks at her with love, she knows that he looks at her no differently than when he had told her that he admired her caring soul and meant it.

And for that, her heart feels so much lighter.


End file.
